Behavior has consequences! This applies both to individuals and to societies. Learn how most of the crises presented by politicians and the media can be traced to the cumulative effects of our own behavior in 5 key areas: Economic Understanding, Discipline, Responsibility, Critical Thinking, and Perspective. Ignoring behavior leads to failure; using this new model leads to real answers.
New examples every MONDAY and FRIDAY!

Popular Posts

Monday, June 15, 2015

Tolerance

Announcement:Ladies
and Gentlemen, please excuse the delay.The movie was scheduled to start at 2:15, but our projectionist
overslept.Of course you understand that
getting out of bed is very difficult for some people and we must be
understanding and compassionate.His
parents could hardly risk accusations of bullying by forcing him out of bed or
shaming him into meeting his responsibilities.The management appreciates your patience and understanding and assures
you that the movie will begin as soon as possible.

The above scenario seems unlikely.No right-thinking person would expect theater
management or the customers to tolerate the behavior of that
projectionist.Getting out of bed and getting
to work on time is a reasonable expectation of any job.Yes, it takes a certain amount of discipline
and is more difficult for some, but to tolerate violations without negative
consequences only condones the irresponsible behavior and leads to more of the
same.

Why then would we read on the BBC website and elsewhere that being
overweight may become the new normal?This
article from last year asks “why has liberating women, and increasingly men,
from the pressure to look perfect ended with us embracing the jelly-belly as a
positive?” There is so much of it
around, we are getting used to it, accepting it more in ourselves and others; while in France hiring too skinny runway models has been outlawed.If this is the case, what else is about to be
normalized?(Remember, your health is no
longer only your business now that the healthy are forced to subsidize the healthcare
costs of the sick.)

There is a clear parallel between oversleeping, overeating,
smoking, binge drinking, accumulating unnecessary debts, starting a family
before being able to support one, reaching retirement with inadequate savings,
drug addiction and a number of other behaviors.They all require discipline.They
are all more difficult for some than for others.They constitute a real cost to society by
affecting a person’s health or job performance or the ability to live independently.Why are we told to tolerate some behaviors, while
condemning others; that some are weaknesses and others are diseases?Smokers are ostracized, but if a smoking
relative dies he becomes a victim of deceptive advertising by evil Big
Tobacco.When someone ignores reality
and makes the huge unwise choice to try to raise a family on minimum wage he becomes a victim of some social injustice, but if you make the small-scale decision to sleep in on a work day, you are reprimanded.

Have we gotten to a point where tolerance is considered a
virtue only as long as we tolerate the right things?People label themselves as tolerant as a
badge of honor, taking part in part in protests to show off for their friends (and customers).They will march in favor
of the popular cause and protest against an unpopular one – whereas defenders of the "wrong" cause will be portrayed as spiteful and uncompassionate in an attempt to
bully them into submission.Our
standards are not our own but are set by the in-crowd from Hollywood or by the
self-proclaimed victims or by those who have the resources to shout long and loud
enough to sway public opinion.*These standards
of conduct fluctuate based on moods and perceptions of society.They seep into the culture while most stand idly by.Perhaps tolerance as it is popularly accepted
is mere laziness where it is easier to ignore some behaviors than to defend real
standards.

*For example, folks cry out for the labeling of GMOs arguing that "consumers should know what they are buying," yet Americans wolf down $30+ million in dietary supplements - herbs, Chinese remedies and the like - with absolutely no assurance that what is on the label is actually in the bottle and if it is, no idea of the potency of a particular batch.

No comments:

Post a Comment

About Me

is highly qualified to comment on the connection between our behavioral choices and the results we get. His formal education and training in observing and classifying behavior is supported by more than 40 years of practical business experience and 10 years of personal research. He is a West Point graduate with two Master’s degrees in business.
He is also a published author, Master Gardener and RYT200 yoga teacher.